1. Those who weren’t in the popular group in high school, but are doing well now.
This is like my wife and me – If you let it, the reunion brings you right back to the insecurity of the old days. Don’t let it.

2. Those who were popular, but now aren’t doing well.
Reunions are all they have – let them have their night of good memories.

3. Those who were popular and are doing well now.
These are probably the people who were the nice popular people.

4. Those who weren’t popular and aren’t doing well now.
These are the people who don’t go to reunions.

B. At events like these (I thought this at my reunion last year) I long for the real conversation. With very loud music, standing within 10 feet of fifty other people and in an environment in which it is expected that people have many people to talk to, there is the perception that it might be considered rude to try to talk to anyone at length – unless you have been keeping up with them and know them well, then you want to talk to them (because they are comfortable) which is, of course, ironic because you don’t really have a reason to catch up.

I met someone who was injured in the attack of the U.S.S. Cole off Yemen in 2000. I imagine that would be a very interesting story, but (and this is probably my own problem) I wasn’t about to ask to hear the story.